Clown. How much money must I have ?
Tam. Come, firrah, thou must be hang'd.

Clown. Hang'd! by'r lady, then I have brought up a neck to a fair end.

[Exit. Sat. Despightful and intolerable wrongs ! Shall I endure this monstrous villany? I know, from whence this same device proceeds: May this be borne ? as if his traiterous fons, That dy'd by law for murther of our brother, Have by my means been butcher'd wrongfully ? Go, drag the villain hither by the hair, Nor age nor honour shall shape privilege. For this proud mock I'll be thy slaughter-man ; Sly frantick wretch, that holp'st to make me great, In hope thy self should govern Rome and me.

Enter Æmilius. (15) Sat. What news with thee, Æmilius ? [cause ;

Æmil. Arm, arm, my lords ; Rome never had more The Goths have gather'd head, and with a Power Of high-resolved men, bent to the spoil, They hither march amain, under the Conduct Of Lucius, son to old Andronicus : Who threats in course of his revenge to do As much as ever Coriolanus did.

Sat. Is warlike Lucius General of the Goths ?

(15) Enter Nuntius Æmilius.] Thus the old Books have de. serib'd this Character : and, I believe, I can account for the Formality, from the Ignorance of the Editors. In the Author's Manuscript, I presume, 'twas writ, Enter Nuntius ; and they observing, that he is immediately call'd Æmilius, thought proper to give him his whole Title, and so clapp'd in Enter Nuntius Æmilius. Mr. Pope has very critically follow'd them ; and ought, methinks, to have given his new-adopted Citizen Nuntius a place in the Dramatis Persona. If this Gentleman has discover'd any Roman Family, that had the prenomen of Nuntius ; it is a Secret, I dare say, more than Carifins, Diomedes Grammaricus, or the Fafti Capitolini, were ever acquainted withal. Shakespeare meant no more than, Enter Æmilius as a Messenger.

These

These Tidings nip me, and I hang the head
As flowers with frost, or grass beat down with storms.
Ay, now begin our forrows to approach ;
'Tis he, the common people love so much :
My self hath often over-heard them say,
(When I have walked like a private man)
That Lucius' banishment was wrongfully,
And they have wilh'd, that Lucius were their Emperor.

Tam. Why should you fear? is not our city strong!

Sat. Ay, but the citizens favour Lucius, And will revolt from me, to succour him.

Tam. King, be thy thoughts imperious like thy name.
Is the sun dim'd, that gnats do fly in it?
The eagle fuffers little birds to fing,
And is not careful what they mean thereby,
Knowing, that with

the shadow of his wings
He can at pleasure ftint their melody ;
Even so may'st thou the giddy men of Rome.
Then cheer thy spirit, for know, thou Emperor,
I will enchant the old Andronicus
With words more sweet, and yet more dangerous,
Than baits to fifki, or honey-stalks to sheep :
When as the one is wounded with the bait,
The other rotted with delicious food.

Sat. But he will not intreat his son for us.

Tam. If Tamora intreat him, then he will :
For I can smooth, and fill his aged ear
With golden promises ; that were his heart
Almost impregnable, his old ears deaf,
Yet should both ear and heart obey my tongue.
Goʻthou before as our embassador; [T. Æmilius.
Say, that the Emperor requests a parley
of warlike Lucius, and appoint the meeting.

Sat. Æmilius, do this message honourably ;
And if he stand on hostage for his safety,
Bid him đemand what pledge will please him best.

Æmil. Your bidding shall I do effectually. [Exit.

Tam. Now will I to that old Andronicus,
And remper him, with all the art I have,
To pluck proud Lucius from the warlike Gorbs.

And

And now, sweet Emperor, be blith again,
And bury all thy fear in my devices.

Sat. Then go fuccessfully, and piead to him. [Exi.

А с т V. SCENE, A Camp, at a small distance

from Rome.

A

Enter Lucius with Goths, with drum and soldiers.

LUCIU s.
PPROVED warriors, and my faithful friends,
I have received letters from great Rome,
Which fignifie, what hate they bear their Em-

p'ror,
And how defirous of our fight they are.
Therefore, great lords, be, as your titles witness,
Imperious and impatient of your wrongs;
And wherein Rome hath done you any scathe,
Let him make treble satisfaction.

Goth. Brave slip, sprung from the great Andronic,
(Whose name was once our terror, now our comfort,)
Whose high exploits and honourable deeds
Ingrateful Rome requites with foul contempt,
Be bold in us; we'll follow, where thou lead'it :
Like stinging bees in hottest summer's day,
Led by their mafter to the flower'd fields,
And be aveng'd on cursed Tamora.

Omn. And, as he faith, fo say we all with him.

Luc. I humbly thank him, and I thank you all.
But who comes here, led by a lusty Goth?
Enter a Goth leading Aaron, with his child in

bis Arms.
Goth. Renowned Lucius, from our troops I ftray'd

Το

To gaze upon a ruinous monastery : And as I earnestly did fix mine eye Upon the wasted building, suddenly I heard a child cry underneath a wall ; I made unto the noise, when foon I heard The crying babe contrould with this discourse: “ Peace, tawny flave, half me and half thy dam, “ Did not thy Hue bewray whose brat thou art, " Had Nature lent thee but thy mother's look, “ Villain, thou might't have been an Emperor : “ But where the bull and cow are both milk-white, “ They never do beget a cole-black calf; “ Peace, villain, peace! (ev'n thus he rates the babe) “ For I must bear thee to a trusty Goth; “ Who, when he knows thou art the Empress' babe, “ Will hold thee dearly for thy mother's fake." With this, my weapon drawn, I rush'd upon him, . Şurpriz'd him suddenly, and brought him hither, To use as you think needful of the man.

Luc. O worthy Goth, this is th' incarnate Devil, That robb'd Andronicus of his good hand ; This is the Pearl that pleas'd your Empress' eye, And here's the base fruit of his burning luft. Say, wall-ey'd save, whither would'it thou convey This growing image of thy fiend-like face? Why doft not speak? what! deaf? no! not a word ? A halter, foldiers ; hang him on this tree, And by his fide his fruit of bastardy,

Aar. Touch not the boy, he is of royal blood.

Luc. Too like the fire for ever being good.
First, hang the child, that he may see it sprawi,
A fight to vex the father's foul witbal.
Get me a ladder. (16)

Aar.

1

(16) Aar. Get me a Ladder. Lucius, Save the Child.) All the printed Editions have given this whole Verse to Aaron. Bus why Should the Moor here ask for a Ladder, who earnestly wanted to have his Child fav'd! Unless the Poet is supposid to mean for Aaron, that, if they would get him a Ladder, he would resolutely hang himself out of the way, so they would

spare

Aar. Lucius, fave the child,
And bear it from me to the Emperess ;
If thou do this, I'll shew thee wond'rous things,
That highly may advantage thee to hear ;
If thou wilt not, befall what may befall,
I'll speak no more; but Vengeance rot you all!

Luc. Say on, and if it please me which thou speak'it, Thy child shall live, and I will see it nourish'd.

Aar. An if it please thee? why, assure thee, Lucius, 'Twill vex thy soul to hear what I shall speak: For I must talk of murthers, rapes and massacres, Acts of black night, abominable deeds, Complots of mischief, treason, villanies, Ruthful to hear, yet piteously perform'd : And this shall all be buried by my death, Unless thou swear to me, my child shall live.

Luc. Tell on thy mind; I say, thy child shall live.
Aar. Swear, that he shall ; and then I will begin.
Luc. Who should I swear by ? thou believ'it no

God:
That granted, how can't thou believe an oath ?

Aar. What if I do not! as, indeed, I do not ;
Yet, for I know thou art religious,
And hast a thing within thee called Conscience,
With twenty popish tricks and ceremonies
Which I have seen thee careful to observe :
Therefore I urge thy oath ; (for that, I know,
An idiot holds his bauble for a God,
And keeps the oath, which by that God he swears,
To that I'll

urge
him ;)

therefore thou shalt vow
By that fame God, what God soe'er it be,
That thou ador'ft and haft in reverence,
To save my boy, nourish and bring him up;
Or else I will discover nought to thee.

Luc. Even by my God I swear to thee, I will.

spare the Child. But, I much rather suspect, there is an old Error in prefixing the Names of the Persons; and that Lucius ought to call for the Ladder, and then Aarou very properly Cotrcats of Lucius to saye the Child.

Aar.